Rating: NR
Length: 125 minutes

Standard 1.33:1 B&W

ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 2.0

English, French, Spanish

The movie opens with Rome burning to the ground. Nero decides to blame the Christians and orders their destruction. The empress has the hots for his highest military leader who suddenly falls for a young Christian girl.

Claudette Colbert was the highlight for me as the lovely yet scheming wife of the emperor. She is a woman accustomed to getting what she wants and doesn't like to be spurned. I also appreciated the fact that DeMille took the time to briefly show the audience the different types of "contests" that were held in the Coliseum.

Other than some good acting the story is nothing new and quite predictable; woman wants a man that doesn't want her, man wants a woman he can't have, the ending is highly predictable.

• None

Devout Christians will love this movie and the simple story it tells and the performances that Colbert and Laughton give are worth a look.

Cecil B. DeMille   [Cleopatra (1934), The Crusades, Four Frightened People, The Ten Commandments, Union Pacific]

Richard Alexander - Viturius

Harry Beresford - Favius

Clarence Burton - Servillius

Claudette Colbert - Empress Poppaea

[Cleopatra (1934), Four Frightened People]

Tommy Conlon - Stephan

Ferdinand Gottschalk - Glabrio

Arthur Hohl - Titus

[Cleopatra (1934)]

Joyzelle Joyner - Ancaria

Ian Keith - Tigellinus

[Cleopatra (1934), The Crusades]

Elissa Landi - Mercia

Charles Laughton - Emperor Nero

[Spartacus]

Fredric March - Marcus Superbus

[Alexander the Great]

William V. Mong - Licinius

Nat Pendleton - Strabo

Vivian Tobin - Dacia